New rule not aiding Duncan in All-Star voting

PORTLAND — The so-called Tim Duncan Rule hasn’t done much to enhance the chances of the Spurs’ captain starting in the Feb. 17 All-Star Game in Houston.

Position designations were simplified this season — voters are asked to select three frontcourt players, rather than two forwards and a center. It’s a nod to the confusion about which position has best defined Duncan since the 2003 retirement of Hall of Famer David Robinson.

But Duncan is a distant fourth in the first release of voting totals for frontcourt starters in the Western Conference, trailing Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, Clippers power forward Blake Griffin and Lakers center Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Durant, the NBA’s reigning scoring champ, led all Western Conference frontcourt players, with 605,965 votes. Howard, whose 48 percent free-throw shooting has been one of the factors in the Lakers’ 9-14 ? start, drew 434,168 votes. Griffin, the reigning slam dunk champion, has 307,855.

Duncan is far back of the leaders at 189,571.

Ironically, Duncan’s relatively tepid fourth-place vote total was released a matter of hours after he had one of the best games by any NBA big man this season. On Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, he had 22 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks in a 99-96 loss to the Utah Jazz.

Duncan ranks first in the Western Conference in blocks, at 2.59 per game, and fourth overall.

Of course, Duncan has made it clear he will be perfectly fine with sitting out All-Star weekend for a second consecutive year. Even if he is having his best season statistically since 2008-09, when he averaged 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

The early returns are even worse for the Spurs’ guards who made the ballot, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, this season’s scoring leader, is the top West vote getter at any position, with 639,419. Clippers point guard Chris Paul is second among West guards at 353,603.

Parker, whose All-NBA second-team selection last season identified him as one of the league’s six best guards, has drawn only 69,963 votes, seventh best in the West behind Houston’s Jeremy Lin and James Harden, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Lakers point guard Steve Nash, who has played only three games.

Miami’s three-time Most Valuable Player, LeBron James, leads all voters in both conferences with 641,348.

Suiting up is necessary: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before Thursday night’s game he had not decided whether second-year forward Kawhi Leonard, out since Nov. 16, would play against the Trail Blazers.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t plan these things in advance.”

So did that mean he wasn’t going to play?

“I guess he can’t get many minutes if he doesn’t suit up,” he responded. “I don’t know. I’d rather he waited.”

Leonard, who has battled left quadriceps tendinitis, has been on the injured list along with Stephen Jackson.

Leonard participated in a brief practice Wednesday morning, and Popovich said then that there was a chance he would play “in the next game or two.”